"I AM A RISK-TAKER"

I was rather surprised to see this motto on a Girl Scout cookie the other day. Personally, it would take a bit more specific definition before I could wholeheartedly subscribe to this message. And I am by no means adverse to risk-taking. In fact, when I was in charge of fostering creativity at my job, I even instituted a yearly banquet to honor those who had come up with new ideas. The highlight of the meal was a large joke trophy given to a person or team who came up with the most creative failure. I even awarded it to the laboratory director himself one year.

My greatest concern is with risk-taking as an avowed goal in itself. The questions to ask are: “What am I risking and what am I gaining?” And when spiritual concerns become involved, it is especially important to ask these questions of yourself. Let me give two examples.

The first concerns a family member, a Christian, who decided to take up mountain climbing even though he had no prior experience, had no life or accident insurance, and had a wife and a number of young children to support. The up-side of such a move was that it gave him an outlet for his need for an adrenalin rush and was exhilarating for him. The down-side of mountain climbing under such circumstances is only too obvious. Fortunately, no accidents occurred and years later he was able to channel this part of his personality into serving in a small overseas mission in a third-world country. There, the up-side was winning others to Christ at a time in his life when he no longer had a growing family to take care of in case of his death.

Some people would probably consider the apostle Paul to be another example of an adrenalin addict. He constantly put his life on the line without care for what happened to him personally. But he did it for a higher cause with the faith that he would be around long enough to accomplish what God had for him to do. And even Paul on occasion took prudent moves not to needlessly subject himself to life-threatening situations.

There is a second incident I witnessed on TV in which a Christian purposely put himself in potential harm's way from falling to his death from a height. This was when Nik Wallenda of the famous Flying Wallendas walked a tightrope strung over the Grand Canyon. Joel Osteen was there to send him off with a prayer to God for safety, and a microphone on Mr. Wallenda picked up his own constant prayers while he was attempting the feat.

I have no doubts concerning the sincerity of Wallenda's faith. But consider the possible consequences in this particular case. If he made it safely across, most people would simply say, “Oh, he is a professional. For him it was no big deal.” And Wallenda (as well as Osteen) would pick up some good publicity. But if he fell and died, then the most common cynical response would have been, “If there were a God, Wallenda would have made it to the other side.” Since Wallenda did arrive safely, Wallenda (as well as Osteen) probably gained little or nothing for God's kingdom by their actions while taking a huge risk that it might have resulted in turning others away from God instead.

And the risk was there even though Wallenda is an expert at what he does. Just witness the fact that not too many years ago, the patriarch of the Wallenda family fell to his death while attempting a high-wire routine that he had done many times before.

A third story involving fall from a height comes out of the New Testament during Jesus' temptation in the wilderness by Satan. Remember that the final temptation in Luke's version (second temptation in Matthew's) was for Jesus to throw himself down from the highest pinnacle of he temple so that the angels could carry him safely to land. Satan got this idea from Psalm 91:11-12. Jesus refused with the words from Deuteronomy 6:16, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Why did Jesus refuse to comply with Satan's challenge? After all, as our pastor pointed out recently in his sermon, those witnessing the miraculous rescue would have spread the word far and wide that the promised Messiah had arrived at least. The reasons for Jesus' refusal were perhaps many, including:

1. Our pastor reminded us that Jesus never used his power for his personal benefit, but always for the benefit of others.

2. It was not yet time for Jesus to openly reveal himself as the promised Messiah.

3. Satan quoted the Psalms passage out of context. That messianic psalm never suggested that someone should throw purposely throw himself off a building. It only said that if he happened to be in accidental danger from a fall, he would be protected. There is a world of difference between the two.

This last fact is perhaps the most important one to remember. We also must walk a tightrope in our lives between taking prudent measures to ensure that we are alive long enough to do whatever God has in mind for us while at the same time not going around being overly concerned with our personal health and safety.